Xelloss
Xelloss (Japanese: ゼロス lit. Zerosu; English: also Xellos) is a mazoku and the priest of Greater Beast Zelas Metallium in the Slayers series. His Japanese voice actor is 石田彰 Akira Ishida, and his English voice actors are David Moo (Software Sculptors), Kurt Stoll (in Slayers Premium) and Michael Sinterniklaas (in Slayers Revolution and Slayers Evolution-R). Another name for him is Jūshinkan, translated as Beast Priest (in the English anime he was incorrectly referred to as "Beast Master" which should really be a title for his master). Xelloss was created by Zelas during the Kōma War, which took place approximately 1013 years before Slayers TRY. Because he is her only immediate servant, and he was created from a great deal of her power, Xelloss is more powerful than all the other priests and generals of Ruby Eye Shabranigdu's subordinates. In the Kōma War, Xelloss singlehandedly killed thousands of golden dragons; he is feared and hated by them ever since. They refer to him as the Dragon Slayer, although he does not like this name, probably because it does not fit the "image" he wants others to view him as. After the war, before serving Hellmaster, Xelloss's duty for a thousand years was to find stray copies of the Claire Bible and destroy them so that humans could not find an easy way to defeat mazoku (with Zanaffar), or utilize the power of the Lord of Nightmares. (This is not what he told Lina and her friends in Slayers NEXT, as he said he was a priest of a temple who wanted to get back a missing copy of the book.) Xelloss posesses all the abilities of a high-level mazoku, including the ability to teleport with items or even people, and also the ability to maintain an incredibly detailed projected form, mimicking even the insides of the human body. He can also change his human form at will, switching his gender from male to female if he wishes (or so it is believed; there is no proof he actually changed genders any more than the other men did in episode 17 of Slayers NEXT). He has narrow purple eyes that are catlike, and his gaze very cold and sinister. This may very well be intentional: He usually keeps his eyes closed or at least slitted, along with wearing a cheerful expression, but when he opens them, his face changes from harmless to menacing in an instant. The clothing he appears to wear and his staff are all part of his physical manifestation and can become as incorporeal as the rest of him. (For example, in the fifth Slayers novel, he was able to slip away from Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune even though she had a tight grip on his clothing.) Before he sold them to Lina, he possessed the Demon's Blood Talismans, four orbs that draw upon the power of all the ma-ō. He recieved these during the Kōma War as a reward from Shabranigdu. Xelloss's true astral form is that of a simple black cone. He is able to divide his power into dozens of tiny cones that can inflict damage over a long period of time. Personality If there is a debate in Slayers fandom which will never come to an end, it has to be the one about Xelloss' personality. The mystery that surrounds this character leaves many people guessing about what his intentions really are, exactly how loyal he is, and what relationship does he truly has with the other main characters. Opinions vary greatly from the "heartless mazoku" to the "benign trickster". Although these extremities usually ignore some canon facts, less radical members of both sides are able to point out sufficient evidence to support their theory. This is made possible by the fact that Xelloss' actions can be interpreted in numerous ways ; what he says is often at odds with what he does, and what he seems to do is often at odds with the final outcome. Below are some traits which can be stated with a considerable amount of certainty. Being Greater Beast's servant, Xelloss is her messenger and the medium through which she acts. He never disobeys the direct orders of his superiors, even if he does not really agree with what they want him to do. Examples of this are when he did not think Valgarv would be swayed to Shabranigdu's side but went to ask him anyway and also when Hellmaster Fibrizo borrowed him in order to protect Lina Inverse so that she would be able to cast Giga Slave. Evidence suggests however, that Xelloss likes to exploit whatever small give he has in his orders to fulfill his own desires. This was especially apparent in his assigment with Fibrizo, when he was forced to follow a plan he seemed to dislike entirely. Xelloss often introduces himself as the Trickster Priest for good reason - he will mislead or cheat in order to get his purpose accomplished. (It is argued whether he ever said an outright lie, as most of his clues usually have at least a fraction of truth in them.) Often, he will play pranks just to see the reactions of those around him, or manipulate others to do the work for him seemingly just because he can. His catchphrase is That is a secret. Despite his enormous powers, he prefers subtlety and manipulation over violence, although when Xelloss does enter a battle, he is known to be a ruthless opponent. Whatever happens, Xelloss always remains polite, referring to everyone, even his enemies, as (name)-san. Relationships Perhaps Xelloss is the one whose relationship with the rest of the Slayers group differs the most in the novels, compared to the anime. In general it can be said that he is not so integrated into the party in the novels, and the others tolerate him even less. These differences will be noted when necessary regarding each main character. In the anime, Lina Inverse and Xelloss have a mutual respect for each other at the very least. Xelloss seems to enjoy the chaos that follows Lina wherever she goes, and he was seen following her even when he was not instructed to do so, only for the sake of fun. When under orders, Xelloss usually uses Lina's reputation, powers and personality to advance his agenda, which often leaves him on the receiving side of a vicious headlock. These traits are more or less present in the novels as well, but to a lesser extent: Xelloss seems to be more distant, looking somewhat troubled by the fact that Lina, unlike most other humans he dealt with, is able to see the bigger picture of things and is not fooled so easily. Because of his thousand-year-old mission, Xelloss destroyed a manuscript that Zelgadiss Graywords was after in his search for a cure, and because of that the chimera hates him with passion, which does not bother Xelloss the slightest. However, the idea that the mazoku constantly teases Zelgadiss comes from fanon, as after that incident Xelloss never really targeted the chimera specifically with his pranks, although the other's emnity proved to be long-lasting. Xelloss listens to Amelia's "justice speeches" with amusement and mild curiosity, although he is somewhat disturbed by her occasional childish behaviour, especially in the novels. Amelia has the ability to make Xelloss feel ill, and even weak by bombarding him with long, exuberant rants about the beauty of existence; even hearing her saying "life is wonderful" makes him cringe. When Xelloss saved her from a group of bandits, Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova became infatuated with him. Xelloss tolerated her and allowed her to follow him around. He was amused by her fighting spirit and definitive goals and used her to annoy Lina. Martina eventually dumped Xelloss after finding out that he was a mazoku. Filia Ul Copt is the only person known to make Xelloss truly angry. Despite his efforts to be polite, she always puts him down or is rude to him, and thus, he is unpleasant in return. Accustomed to the other dragons' cautious manners when approaching him, Xelloss does not understand from where she got around to blatantly insuting him with names like Namagomi (raw garbage), a nickname he clearly detests, and he does not quite know whether her attitude comes from courage or just from plain stupidity. He never retaliates with anything more than words, though, which is subject to numerous interpretations, along with the slightly noticable change in their relationship during the second half of Slayers TRY. (A good example of this is when he rescues her during his battle with Valgarv, although he immediately uses her as a lure to attack him.) Xelloss was sent to Valgarv in order to turn him to Shabranigdu's side. Valgarv refused, and thus, Xelloss was ordered to kill him. However, Xelloss underestimated Valgarv's power, and he was injured in their fight. Xelloss takes caution around Valgarv, because he might be one of the few who could stand up against him. Although remaining polite, Xelloss showed little respect when he was confronted by Chaos Dragon Garv, refusing to refer to him with the suffix ''-sama'' like he does with the other subordinate lords. When he did finally call the Chaos Dragon ''-sama'', it was in a sarcastic tone of voice. Xelloss showed deep contempt in general towards those who were on Garv's side, like Valgarv, Kanzel, Mazenda or Seigram. Appearances * Slayers novels 5-8, 15 * Slayers NEXT (EP02-EP26) * Slayers TRY * Slayers Premium movie * Slayers: Super-Explosive Demon Story * Slayers Premium manga * Slayers Royal * Slayers Royal 2 * Slayers Wonderful * Afterword of the novel Slayers Special 13 * Slayers Revolution * Slayers Evolution-R Musical appearances * Secret ~Dareka no Message~ * BUT BUT BUT External Links *Mysterious Ways - Created in late 1999 to provide accurate information, this is a detailed shrine and approved fanlisting for Xelloss. *Demonic Fiend - A comprehensive shrine to Xelloss with a little bit of inaccurate information, i.e., stating that the Lord of Nightmares is a mazoku. Category:Slayers characters Category:Mazoku priests and generals